Demystifying the Common Core State Standards Joyce Edwards Director of Instructional Services January 28, 2014

Agenda  The Common Core State Standards  MA Frameworks  Implications for Teaching and Learning  MCAS and PARCC testing  Questions

Common Core State Standards  The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are shared expectations for knowledge and skills in ELA and Math.  Emphasis on both content and skills  Initiative led by states with continued partnership by states that chose to adopt the standards  Establish what students should learn and teachers develop lesson plans to meet the needs of all learners

ELA Key Shifts  Requires systematic approach to reading, writing, listening, and speaking  Maintains base of critical content within ELA including literature  Increase in non-fiction reading and writing for students  Text complexity critical component of expectations  All content area teachers now have literacy responsibilities

Math Key Shifts  Solid foundation of content knowledge and skills  Uses foundational approach  Accuracy is critical  Content shifts between grades from previous standards  Requires application of skills  Incorporates 8 Math Practice Standards

Math Practice Standards 1.Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2.Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3.Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4.Model with mathematics. 5.Use appropriate tools strategically. 6.Attend to precision. 7.Look for and make use of structure. 8.Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

CCSS Myth Corrections  CCSS is not a federal program  CCSS is not a national curriculum  Does not eliminate use of novels or literature  Requires the right answer in Math  Does not dictate teaching practices  No plans to extend beyond ELA and Math  There is no federal data base

MA Frameworks  State frameworks are more rigorous in many cases than the CCSS  This is our teaching mandate as MA teachers in a public school district  Approximately 85-90% of MA Frameworks are based on CCSS-meaning MA added 10-15% additional standards  MCAS tests based on MA Frameworks

Teaching and Learning  Significant shift of focus from teaching to learning  Curriculum and instruction must align with both content and skills from the MA Frameworks, based on the CCSS  RIGOR MATTERS  Increased emphasis on student skills  Reading and writing across all content areas

Teaching and Learning  Increased use of non-fiction with supporting evidence from text  Increase in writing types - narrative, informative, persuasive (opinion)  Math content proficiency is required  Incorporation of Math Practice Standards is required

Testing  MCAS testing in ELA and Math will most likely shift to PARCC  Science test will remain MCAS  PARCC field tests this year including in Franklin  Two components: Performance Based Assessment (PBA) and End of Year (EOY)  PBA is more hands on application of knowledge and skills and includes more writing  EOY is summative and will likely be multiple choice

Testing  PARCC  Some electronic and some paper/pencil testing this year and for the next few years  Eventually moving to all electronic testing  Next year we will choose between all MCAS or all PARCC  Data gaps as a result of field tests and pilots  Shift to PARCC if state board votes to adopt  Only if as rigorous or more so than MCAS  Likely as of school year  Retests for High School through 2018

Resources  mmoncore mmoncore  